The Devil's Spawn Part 5 of the series
by Justright
Summary: What does it take to deserve being saved


**The Devil's Spawn**

**A** little boy just about nine years old is playing by himself in his backyard. He looks for all the world like a happy child, playing with trucks and pushing sand around, making pretend noises. 

In front of the house, a car stops and a tall man with light hair and a pale complexion comes out of it, his eyes fixated on the suburban house. He looks around, as if wondering about this place. Then, he proceeds to walk up the driveway in the direction of the front door. After he rang the bell, a man of average height and handsome features answers the door. "Yes?" 

The light hair man gives him a forced smile.   
"I need to make a call and I was wondering if I could use your phone? My car is making weird noises and I'm afraid I'm gonna need the auto club." 

The man of the house seems uncertain. He casts a worried look toward the back of the house, but seems to decide that it's ok.   
"Why not, just follow me…" 

Then he turns around and leads the stranger into the living room. As the visitor follows his host, he looks around as if searching for something more than the phone. 

The man of the house indicates the phone to the stranger and states that he has to check on his son. 

A spark of interest immediately lights up the other man's eyes, but he dissimulates it, pretending to be only interested in his call. 

His host seems oblivious to this at any rate and he goes toward the back door, calling his son.  
"Jarod! Come in , supper's almost ready." 

The boy reluctantly leaves his toys behind and comes toward the back door and his father. Behind his father, the other man appears suddenly and the boy reacts immediately at the sight. His face turns ashen with fear but he is also obviously angry. He runs to his father as the other man transforms into a beast, with glowing eyes and a grayish skin. The monster is slowly but purposefully approaching his father and the boy barely reaches him in time. Without a word of explanation, the boy grabs his father's hand and they both shimmer out, provoking a scream of rage from the demon. 

At the manor, the girls are preparing for an evening out.   
"So is your boyfriend coming with us tonight?" Piper questions Phoebe. 

Phoebe answers, while smiling softly.   
"Yes and I can't wait till he's here." 

"He's not worried about uninvited guests to our evening?" 

Phoebe replies as a cloud crosses over her features.   
"We can't just stop doing everything because of that… I wanna have at least a taste at a normal relationship. One night out on the town is the least we can hope for." 

"Somehow I know what you mean. Normal doesn't apply much to my own relationship either." 

The girls smile at each other. 

Prue comes downstairs announcing that she's ready to go too. 

Phoebe is a bit upset:   
"Cole's not here yet. We can't go…" Just as she is saying this, the doorbell rings and she almost runs to the door. 

Indeed Cole is there and smiles at her. He admires her for an instant and then says, "Well, I think that I'm going to make a lot of men jealous tonight." 

Phoebe playfully answers, "That was the whole idea. But most of all, I don't want you to look at any other girl." As she is saying this, Phoebe smiles brightly. 

He kisses her and asks, "Are you ready?" 

"We all are," she says, turning questioningly to her sisters. 

"As ready as we can be," Piper answers for the both of them. " Leo will join us there, so let's go!" 

At P3, they all look to be enjoying their outing, but Cole appears pensive. He has shown signs of distraction throughout the evening and Phoebe finally decides to question him about it.   
"Cole, is there something wrong?" 

Cole seems startled by her question, as if he had been far away in thoughts.   
"No why?" He answers a little too fast. 

"I don't know. One moment you seem to enjoy yourself and the next you're lost in thoughts. Is there something I should know about?" 

Cole tries to dismiss her concerns.   
"Like what?" 

"I don't know; you tell me. I thought we decided to deal with that stuff together, didn't we?" After a lengthy hesitation, Cole caves.   
"It really isn't about us. It's just something I heard while checking things down there…" 

Phoebe doesn't need to be explained what he means by down there.   
"What was it about then?" 

Cole hesitates some more as if he didn't like the idea of discussing his findings with her. 

"Come on, it's obvious that it's important to you, so it is to me too." She smiles encouragingly. 

"Ok well, that's kind of a long story but let's say it bears a strong resemblance to what happened to me." 

Phoebe's interest grows at hearing this: "What do you mean?" 

"I'm talking about the circumstances of my birth…" 

Neither one notices Leo, discreetly listening in to their conversation. 

"Go on…" Phoebe encourages Cole. 

Cole begins relating to her what he heard.   
"It started about 10 years ago. A female demon, who heard of the Belthazor's legend, was thinking of trying again. Maybe creating an even more powerful demon… Her name was Calandra, and for a demon, she really was stunning; at least in her human form. A cascade of dark hair flowed to her waist while blue eyes lit up her perfectly shaped face. She knew this, and also that it would be useful to her in finding a mate to put her plan into action. She set out to find him, the perfect mate to create the perfect demon child. 

After a few weeks of research, she finally found the one. It was a man with great humanitarian values. His name was Dylan O'Connell. He was a doctor having spent a few years doing pro bono work in many free clinics. He was also planning to go for a time to the third world for the Red Cross. He had no time for relationships since his school days and when Calandra presented herself to him as a nurse, he immediately noticed her and before long, they were going out. After only a few weeks, Calandra knew that she had won him over when he proposed. They didn't lose any time and on an impulse they flew to Las Vegas that very night. 

Only a month after that, Calandra found that her plan worked to perfection. She was already pregnant and could almost feel the power of her unborn child flowing through her. She decided to keep up the charade until the child was born. Deep down, she was actually enjoying the situation… 

Eventually however, Dylan began to wonder about his wife. Her attitudes and actions didn't seem normal to him. She presented with radical mood swings and outbursts of anger often. At first, he thought that it might be caused by the pregnancy, but he still found himself drifting away from her. 

Still, he never realized what was really wrong with her until the birth of their child. That day, as he was basking in the joy of his son's birth, he gazed at his wife and, instead of affection and joy, he saw hatred in her eyes. Alone with their child in the hospital room, Calandra finally showed him her true colors.   
"Now that you've given me what I wanted, I don't need you anymore." 

Dylan stared at her in confusion.   
"What? Why? What's wrong honey?" 

Calandra replied with a cruel smile. "Don't you understand?" She said proceeding to change into her much less appealing demon form. 

Dylan was so stunned at first that he couldn't move. Then, not even knowing where he found the strength, he grabbed the child from her arms and ran out of the room and the hospital before she had the chance to get to him. 

Dylan had reacted instinctively, trying to protect his child. However once outside and at a distance from the hospital, he stopped to observe his son with worries in his eyes. He was wondering how such a beautiful baby could have been born from such a monster... and also, what consequences he would have to face in the future because of it. 

He was still pondering his options when a woman he had never seen before walked up to him. She immediately asked him who he was and then she said something that until a few minutes ago would have seemed impossible, even crazy to Dylan.   
"I know it's gonna sound weird to you, but I had a premonition about you in just this place, while I was in a clinic downtown. You must come with me. If you don't, you'll die soon…" 

"What do you mean?" 

"I'm a witch and I have the gift of visions… I saw that a demon was after you. She'll try to take your baby away from you and kill you if we don't come with me right now." 

Dylan, accepting that he had fallen into a world he had no idea even existed, decided to follow the woman, because at this point he didn't have any idea what else to do. 

After Cole finished telling Phoebe of what he heard, he turned to her and saw astonishment mixing with worry in her eyes. 

"You mean there's another one like you out there? Did they find him?" Phoebe finally questioned. 

"No, they haven't as far as I know. The only thing they knew for sure was that a witch had been shielding him from them until recently... Nobody has any idea on how she managed that." 

"What about now?" 

" They've been looking for him ever since, but a few days ago, one of the hunters picked up the trail. Fortunately, the boy escaped. But it seems that whatever was shielding him until now has partially failed…" 

"What do you mean?" 

"To be very honest I have no idea how or why." He continues quickly "But it has nothing to do with you. It's not your concern." 

Phoebe caresses his cheek affectionately.   
"I make it my concern because it's something that seems to matter to you." 

"I don't even know if I should do anything about it…" 

Phoebe hesitates at length, and then, after biting her lower lips nervously, she questions Cole.   
"Please, don't take this the wrong way but… Do you think there's a chance that the boy is evil, even if his mother didn't raise him?" 

"I know what you're thinking… There's no way to know which way he'll turn. But from the hunter's report, he seemed to wanna protect his father…" 

"Do you think that you could have…" Phoebe begins uncertainly. She can't finish however, because she's not sure she wants to know the answer to that. 

Nevertheless, Cole knows what is on her mind and he answers.   
"There's no way for me to know what would've happened, Phoebe. I was only two years old when they took me away from my father. And really, up until the day I met you, it never occurred to me that my life could've been different." 

"And now? 

"Well maybe that's why I can't get this boy out of my mind. Maybe I want to know." 

"Do you know where they were seen last?" 

"Yes…" Cole trails, unsure if he likes the sound of that. 

Phoebe makes up her mind right then.   
"Let's go…" 

"Where?" 

"To where they were seen last, where else? Maybe I can get a premonition from there..." 

"Why would you want to do this?" 

"If nothing else, I think the father is an innocent and we should try to help him. For the rest…" Phoebe takes his hand and gently pulls him up. "We will see." 

Cole hesitates, and then he asks, "What are you gonna tell your sisters?" 

Phoebe ponders this for a moment before giving him an answer.   
"Nothing for now... We might as well see if there's anything to talk about first." 

As Phoebe goes to tell her sisters they are leaving, Cole and she are unaware of Leo's intense scrutiny. He seems very worried but when they turn to him to say goodbye, he seems calm and relaxed. 

The moment they left though, he goes to Piper.   
"Piper, I just had a call from…" Leo indicates the ceiling. 

"Oh no, not again. When are we gonna have a whole evening together?" 

Leo answers sincerely, "I'm really sorry, but it's important... you know?" 

"I know," Piper agrees grudgingly. She sighs heavily. "Ok then."   
Leo kisses her and goes toward a corner where he orbs out, unobserved. 

At the house where Dylan and Jarod O'Connell presumably were seen last , Cole and Phoebe arrive by the most expedient mean. He shimmered them both there. Cole immediately senses something.   
"A demon or more than one was here recently. We should be careful…" 

"I've got to go inside. I'm not getting anything out here." 

Cole acquiesces reluctantly and they are about to try the door when it bursts opened in front of them and the demon with greyish skin appears in the doorway. From the look of him, he seems just as surprised as they are. He doesn't lose any time and plunges toward them. Cole puts himself between Phoebe and the demon and sends him flying backward. The demon quickly stands up and throws a flaming ball toward them. Phoebe and Cole hardly have time to get out of the way, and then Cole just answers in kind with one of his energy balls, which catches the demon fully. This one screams in pain and is consumed soon after. 

Phoebe stands up slowly, brushing herself as she gives a look of reproach to Cole.   
"I thought we had discussed the use of magic…" 

Cole shows no remorse here.   
"I wasn't gonna let him hurt you, Phoebe." 

"I can also defend myself, you know. I was fighting demons long before you came into my life." 

For a long moment, they stare at each other uneasily. 

"I'm sorry." Cole finally utters. 

"That's ok, I guess it might have been justified… Now let's do what we came here for." 

They enter the house cautiously, looking around suspiciously. Fortunately, no other demon shows up. Phoebe begins touching objects in every room, but nothing comes to her. 

After thirty minutes of this fruitless search, she's almost ready to give up when she comes to the back door. The moment she touches the doorknob, she is pulled into a vision: 

"A man and a little boy are in what seems to be a church and they look very scared, running toward the altar. Behind them, a demon with red skin and a spiky head is closing in. She throws an energy ball toward the man and this one explodes in flames. The boy is crying and stuck in place while the demon approaches him with her lips expanding in what seems an attempt at a smile." 

The vision stops there and Cole, who was behind Phoebe, immediately asks her what she saw. 

"Some kind of spiky head demon... she was killing the man and closing in on the boy..." 

"Where were they?" 

"I don't know exactly, but it was a church…" 

"That doesn't give us much to go on. Do you think this already happened?" 

"I don't think so. But if I'm not mistaken we don't have much time... I think that we should ask Piper and Prue for help. They could look on their own, while we search ourselves." 

"I guess…" Cole trails uncomfortably. "Tell them the demon is a Night Hag. She's a succubus, probably the mother…" 

"Pardon my asking but, she didn't look very appealing to me…" 

Cole can't help an amused smile.   
"Well, in their human form, they usually are very appealing. That is how they attract their victims. They don't usually marry them and have children with them though… I guess she got ambitious." 

Phoebe doesn't lose any more time, and calls her sisters. 

"Yes?" Prue answers on the second ring. 

"Prue, I'm sorry I couldn't tell you earlier," Phoebe begins immediately, "but we need your help." 

"Tell me what?" Prue questions suspiciously. 

"I don't have much time to explain but I need you to look up a succubus or Night Hag by the name of Calandra in the book. Then if you and Piper could search churches on the eastside of town, Cole and I will look from the other side." 

"What are we looking for?" Prue asks, obviously annoyed at Phoebe. 

"A man and his son are pursued by this demon, and I saw them in a church... but I don't know which one. In my vision, I saw the man getting killed. We've got to find them before it's too late…" 

"Ok we're on it but I expect an explanation soon…" Prue replies pointedly. 

"Of course... but later ok...?" Phoebe answers. 

"Alright," Prue replies before hanging up. 

Phoebe turns to Cole and grabs his hand, simply saying, "Let's go." 

Prue and Piper didn't lose any time going back at the Manor. As soon as they're home, they go up to the attic intent on looking up the demon Phoebe described. Upon finding her in the book, Piper says with a grimace of disgust, "Lovely complexion." 

"I wonder where Phoebe got the premonition from," Prue muses, more for herself. 

"She didn't tell you?" Piper questions. 

"No, but she seemed anxious for us to find these people." 

"Well then, I guess we should get on with it. You got the vanquish?" 

"Finishing writing it down now. Let's go!" 

Phoebe and Cole arrive at the first church and are about to enter, when he hesitates… 

"What's up?" Phoebe asks seeing his hesitant expression. 

"Well that's very much the first time in my life I enter a church." 

Phoebe gazes at him with a little smile.   
"What? You think you'll get struck down or something?" 

Cole is not really amused.   
"I don't think so… But it's still very uncomfortable." 

"Come on, I don't think that they're watching you that closely. 

She gives him her hand and leads him toward the door. Cole still cringes when they cross the threshold. To his immense relief however, nothing happens. Unfortunately, they haven't got lucky and must move on to the next church... 

In another part of town, Dr. O'Connell and his son are walking nervously. Dylan casts worried looks around, expecting to be caught at any moment. Jarod pulls on his hand, trying to get his attention.   
"Daddy, why are they after me?" 

Dylan turns to his son, but he doesn't know how to explain this to him. He never wanted to tell him about his heritage. He should have, when the boy started to use his powers, but he still believed that he could just keep Jarod in the dark. Ever since he understood what his son was, Dylan has been afraid of what he might do if he knew. His late wife had helped him the best she could but after she died last month, the old fears resurfaced along with the demons knocking at his door. They were so close. Dylan hoped that they could keep him safe just long enough. But when his wife died, whoever was protecting them had stopped. Dylan had become lost in thoughts but he looked back at his son then.   
"Don't get upset ok? I'll find a place where we'll be safe." The words sound empty to him, but Dylan feels that he must say something to reassure his son. 

As they are walking, he notices a church and thinks that maybe they won't look for them in there. He resolutely goes toward it with his son in tow… 

At the 5th church, Piper and Prue begin to get discouraged.   
"How many churches are there in this town?" Piper asks dejectedly. 

"I don't know," Prue answers, "but I've got a feeling that we're gonna have to get lucky to find the right one on time." 

"Maybe Leo could help... at least it's worth a shot. He said it was important but he might be done by now." 

"Yeah, try calling him." 

Piper concentrates on her husband, but she gets no result. 

"That's not like him not to ignore our call. What if it was urgent?" Prue says irritably after a moment. 

Piper defends him, albeit weakly. She's also wondering about this.   
"I'm sure that he has a good reason." 

Prue shrugs irritably.   
"Meanwhile we've got to go on..." Without waiting, they restart the car and move on to the next church on the map. 

Dylan and Jarod are a few feet away from the door of the church when Dylan hears a whooshing sound behind him. He half turns and his eyes grow wide with fear. He firmly grabs his son's hand and starts running. 

Calandra's demon form is right behind them. She follows them in… 

Cole and Phoebe shimmer in front of yet another church. Phoebe stopped counting a little while ago. She is pretty discouraged and begins to wonder if they didn't miss it. However, until now she didn't recognize any of the ones they visited. Therefore, once again, they go inside, not expecting it to be any different. They are mistaken. 

In front of Phoebe, the scene from her vision is happening exactly the way she remembers. The moment he sees the demon, Cole leaves Phoebe behind and shimmers by the two people they came here to protect. The demon hesitates, unsure of what that means, while Dylan steps back at the sight of Cole appearing by his side. 

"Stay away from us," Dylan exclaims fearfully. He directs his comment as much to Cole as to the other demon. Phoebe seeing that it might turn sour, runs toward the demon and tackles her to the ground. She then runs over to the others, saying, "Don't be afraid, we're here to help you." 

Dylan is totally confused and pulls his son away from them, stepping back toward the altar. The demon Calandra, for it is her, has gotten over her surprise and is now advancing on them. Phoebe looks back toward Dylan and Jarod, who have now stopped. The boy seems terrorized. Phoebe somehow wonders why he isn't simply shimmering his father away. However, she has no time to ponder this since the demon is too close for comfort. Phoebe levitates herself to kick the demon in the face and then she falls roughly on the ground.   
"I still have to work on that thing," she mumbles to herself. She barely has time to get back up before the demon heads toward her again, with murder spelled out in her large black eyes. Phoebe takes position but the demon hits her so hard that she falls.   
"Cole, if ever there was a time to break your promise that's now." Phoebe utters with a high pitched voice. 

Cole immediately transforms to his demon half and puts himself between her and the demon. That stops Calandra in her track. 

"Belthazor?" She questions in obvious surprise. She doesn't wait for an answer and vanishes right away. 

Cole returns to his human form and turns to Phoebe, helping her up. 

Dylan and his son are still standing there, transfixed. Phoebe goes to them cautiously.   
"You don't have to be afraid, I promise." 

Dylan asks, indicating Cole, "What about him?" 

Cole stays back but says, "I'm also here to help." 

Dylan is unconvinced.   
"How am I supposed to believe you? You're a demon just like the others who have tried to take my son away from me." 

Phoebe intervenes again.   
"You've got to believe me, we only want to keep you safe. But you have to come with us. It's not safe here…" 

"You're with him. How am I supposed to know if it's not a trick to get to Jarod?" 

"You know about witches don't you?" Phoebe tried then. 

"Yes…" He trails. 

"Well that's what I am and my job is to protect the innocents." 

"If you know about my son, you must also know that you're not supposed to protect him. My wife told me often enough that she broke the rules for us." 

Phoebe is a little taken aback and she doesn't answer. 

Cole moves closer and says softly, trying to gain his trust, "She may not have a good reason, but I do… I know what your son is. He's just like me," Cole pursues. "All I want is for him not to go through the same horrors I had to." 

Dylan still hesitates but just the same as when he followed the witch, he understands that they might be his only chance.   
"Alright! We'll go with you." 

Cole replies with obvious relief.   
"Let's go now, there's no telling how long she'll stay away." 

Piper and Prue have come back to the Manor, alerted by Phoebe's phone call.   
"Ok Phoebe," Prue began as soon as they were altogether in the living room, "we're ready for your she-demon... So now, would you kindly tell us what it's about?" 

Phoebe explains the situation to them and both Prue and Piper give her looks of reproach.   
"You're saying that you brought another one here!" Prue questions incredulously. 

"Hey, I resent that," Cole exclaims. 

Prue ignores him and they all turn toward the father and his son, who are trying their best to calm down.   
"So why is it that they're trying to find him only now? Why not before...?" 

"My wife…" Dylan's eyes are filled with sorrow at the thought of her. "She had help from someone who was protecting us from being found. But when she died, it seems that the person protecting us stopped doing it. She never told me who it was…" There is a long silence and then Phoebe asks the boy directly, "Why didn't you use your power to escape earlier?" 

The boy answers shyly. "Daddy forbids it." 

Phoebe insists.   
"But you did before…" 

Cole adds.   
"The more he uses his powers, the more chance he…" 

Dylan interrupts him with a hand gesture.   
"Suffice to say, it's wrong and Jarod knows it." 

"I think it'd be a good idea if we discussed it with you in private, Sir." Prue says to him. 

Dylan knows that she understood his dilemma, but he worries about his son.   
"Don't worry," Prue pursues, guessing his concern at leaving Jarod. "Phoebe and Cole will stay with your son…" 

Dylan casts a still doubtful look in Cole's direction. 

"Don't worry," this one answers, "I told you, all I want is to keep your son safe." 

Dylan relents and he stands up to follow Piper and Prue. 

The boy watches his father leaving with an uncertain expression. 

Phoebe offers him something to eat, hoping it will distract him from his worries. He barely looks at her, but accepts her offer, and they move on to the kitchen. The boy is obviously famished and as he starts eating, he relaxes enough that they can get him to talk. He still looks at Cole with fear, but not as much as before. 

"So how old are you? Phoebe asks to break the ice. 

"I'm almost 10 years old," Jarod says proudly. "Daddy says I'm almost a man now." 

Phoebe replies while smiling softly. 

"I'll bet." 

Cole reacted to the boy's answer by becoming a little tense, and Phoebe picks up on it as he questions the boy curtly.   
"When is your birthday?" 

The boy looks up at him and seems to relax further in spite of Cole's tension.   
"In one week." Then his expression saddens. "Mommy won't be there…Daddy says she had to go, but I know what it means... she died. The bad men killed her." 

Phoebe tries to hug him but he pulls away. 

"Daddy says that men don't cry. I won't." Jarod says proudly. 

Phoebe smiles at him but she can't help feeling sad for the little boy. 

In the hallway, Prue and Piper are now asking Dylan, "Doesn't he know what he is?" 

"No! And if we get through this he'll never have to." 

The girls don't understand this and are about to ask about it, when Leo orbs in, provoking another bad reaction on Dylan's part. Prue reassures him that this is the good guys, but even if he stays with them, he still seems wary of all this witchy stuff. 

Leo turns to Dylan and says:   
"I'm glad I wasn't too late… He's still with you isn't he?" Leo says with sudden worry in his eyes as he looks around, searching for the boy. 

"How did you know about this?" Piper questions with a hint of suspicion. 

"It's a long story but suffice to say I think I got them to reconsider helping you," he says, looking directly at Dylan. "So is he still with you?" Leo asks again insistently. 

"Yes he is. He's in the kitchen with the other two who helped us. Who are you?" 

"I'm a kind of guardian angel... just like the one that protected your son for all those years." 

Prue seems really surprised, but Leo ignores her, instead pursuing for Dylan.   
"We've got to get your son and bring him in a safe place." 

Dylan only hesitates an instant, knowing instinctively that he can trust that man. Then, they head for the kitchen. 

That's the moment an uninvited guest chooses to show up. Another demon similar to the first one Dylan saw at his house just materialized and he is going after him. 

Prue tks the demon away from Dylan and this one falls back into the living room, crashing into an armoire that breaks noisily. 

This attracts the attention of both Cole and Phoebe, who hurry back toward the living room, leaving Jarod alone in the kitchen. That's the moment Calandra was waiting for, having orchestrated the distraction. Contrary to her first appearance, she chose to come to her son as a human. When she appears before Jarod, the boy stands up and takes several steps back but she tells him, "Don't be afraid, I don't wanna hurt you. I'm your mommy." 

"That's not true. My mommy is dead. You're a bad person." 

"No, you're father lied to you. You're my son. He took you away from me when you were only a baby. He didn't even tell you what you are, did he?" 

"Daddy told me that I'm a man. He wouldn't lie to me." 

Calandra utters intently.   
"But he did. He didn't tell you how important you are… He didn't tell you how strong you really are." 

Jarod is suddenly interested because nobody has ever explained to him where his forbidden powers came from.   
"What do you mean?" 

"Didn't you ever feel different? Just let it out." 

Jarod still hesitates.   
"Daddy says it's wrong." 

"But I told you, your daddy lied to you. He's weak and afraid of you." 

Unfortunately this strikes a chord with the boy. He has often wondered why his dad was so upset about him using his powers. 

Calandra pushes him further.   
"You see, I knew that you'd understand. Just let me show you what you can be…" 

Jarod is taking an hesitant step toward her when a loud scream is heard from the other room along with an explosion. 

This distracts Jarod, and Calandra uses that to come closer. When Jarod looks back at her, he starts, but doesn't move away. Calandra is about to grab him when Cole enters the room. He stops short and glances at the boy, and then the demon. 

"You won't take him from me, Belthazor. I don't know what got into you but my son will fulfill his destiny." 

Cole speaks directly to Jarod.   
"Jarod, listen to me. She isn't telling you everything. You saw what I am. Do you really wanna be like that?" 

Jarod hesitates, "That's what I am…" 

Cole insists.   
"No, you don't have to be. You may be a normal little boy. All the power in the world is not worth losing your humanity." 

The boy seems to falter and Calandra sees that she is losing her grip on him. As she moves to grab the boy, the witches come into the room, soon followed by Dylan. This one exclaims: "Calandra!" 

This startles the demon long enough for the boy to escape her and run to his father. That's all the girls were waiting for as they start chanting the vanquishing spell. 

"Your beauty is like Poison  
Your charms spell treason  
May the ugliness of your true nature  
Be destroyed by all that's pure."  


The succubus writhes in pain, and then she seems to melt, before disappearing completely. Jarod hides his face in his father's arms. The man hurriedly leads his son out of the room. 

Cole looks at the place where the demon was vanquished and then toward he stares in the direction the boy and his father just left. He doesn't say a word but Phoebe understands something is still troubling him. When the others left the room, she stays behind. 

She patiently waits for him to talk. 

"It really is weird…" Cole says at last. 

"What?" 

"When I was a boy, I never even had the choice that he has. At the time it never bothered me. Now after all this time, I finally regret the choice I never had." 

Phoebe is a little confused.   
"What do you mean, choice?" 

Cole looks at her with sadness in his eyes.   
"The boy will have the chance to become fully human a week from now, if he can just keep his instincts in check a little longer. Since he never used his powers for evil, his demonic side will be gone forever on his ten_th_ birthday." 

Phoebe understands now why it was so important to him. She walks up to Cole and hugs him tenderly. No words are needed anymore. 

As promised, Leo offers to put the father and the boy in a protected place where they will be safe from any more attempts from demons. 

Dylan and Jarod thank the sisters and Leo orbs them away. 

Later that night, Leo comes back with the news that they have safely arrived. 

Then he takes Cole apart to tell him something.   
"I didn't tell them but you deserve to know who was protecting the boy. He can't come to see you even though he wishes he could." 

Cole is a little puzzled.   
"Who are you talking about?" 

"Your father…" 

Cole is too stunned to speak.   
Therefore, Leo pursues.   
"Rules prevent him from coming himself, but he wanted me to tell you that he's proud of what you've done. And that he wishes he could have done the same for you." 

Leo leaves him at this. Cole looks up with the beginning of a smile forming on his lips. 

Then, he whispers, "I think you just did." 


End file.
